Unholy triangle Monsatan Gates & USDA

Many have long suspected that U.S. policy on genetically modified (GM) organisms was being influenced by the multinational corporations that profit from genetic engineering and the export-oriented agribusiness. However, recently released Wikileaks cables document just how close that relationship has become.

The U.S. Department of State has virtually become an agency for promoting the private interests of the Monsanto Corporation.

As European social movements pressure their governments for an ongoing moratorium on GM seeds and foods, Monsanto and other biotech corporations have been pushing to find new market footholds, using hybrids even in impoverished Haiti following the January 12, 2010 earthquake. They have been pursuing such goals in collaboration with USAID, the U.S. State Department and the Gates Foundation Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

According to Netline:

“The collusion of the Gates Foundation with Monsanto corporation is no accident, as high level officials leading AGRA are former Monsanto executives. The recent purchase by AGRA of $500,000 worth in Monsanto stocks was vivid proof of that close relationship. Despite many words by Gates officials since the inception of the AGRA agenda denying that GMO seeds would be used as part of AGRA, their close relationship with Monsanto has now been revealed to be a key element in their agronomic ‘new green revolution’ strategy.”

In the video above, you can also see Gates’ wrong-headed ideas about vaccines.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates was recently interviewed by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta. Gates was attending the World Economic Forum to push his mission of eradicating polio by 2012. Gates, through his foundation, has pledged $10 billion to provide vaccinations to children around the world .

In the course of the interview, in regards to the vaccine-autism connection, Gates said:

“… [I]t’s an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn’t have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts — you know, they, they kill children. It’s a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important.”

How can someone so smart also be so confused about this issue? Unfortunately, that may actually be part of the problem.

Bill Gates may be one of the most destructive “do-gooders” on the planet because he is rich enough to get what he wants and he has a high opinion of his own intelligence. It is hard enough fighting Big Pharma, Big Government and Big Medicine on vaccines, but when another opponent is one of the wealthiest and most influential philanthropists in the world, it is even harder.

Fortunately, truth is more powerful than money. It is the only reason that the voices of parents and vaccine injured children continue to be heard above the relentless promotion of lies by the wealthy and powerful.

Sources:

Netline January 2011

CNN February 4, 2011

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

As I discussed last month, Wikileaks has revealed just how deeply entrenched the US government has become with Monsanto. It’s long been known that the government was being unduly influenced, but the leaked cables revealed the reality is far worse than expected; the US Department of State is actively promoting the private interests of Monsanto across the world.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the US Trade Representative also have a special set of revolving doors’ leading straight to Monsanto, which has allowed this transnational giant to gain such phenomenal influence.

It is this type of government infiltration that allowed genetically modified (GM) alfalfa to be approved without any restrictions at all, despite the protests of the organic community and public comments from a quarter or a million concerned citizens…

As if that’s not enough, Monsanto now also has one of the wealthiest and most influential “philanthropists” supporting their agenda and spreading misleading propaganda, namely Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.

In addition, in the CNN interview above Gates also muddies the waters with his personal, misguided opinions on vaccines. Between his close ties to Monsanto and his aggressive pro-vaccine stance—without regard for safety on either issue—Gates may just be one of the most destructive “do-gooders” on the planet.

The Close Alliance Between Gates Foundation and Monsanto

As revealed by previous Wikileaks documents, the Bush administration conspired to find ways to retaliate against Europe for refusing to use genetically modified (GM) seeds, mainly by engaging in aggressive trade wars against reluctant nations.

The Guardian recently reported that the “cables show US diplomats working directly for GM companies such as Monsanto.” The cables also revealed that the US has worked closely with Spain to persuade the EU to not strengthen their biotechnology laws. In one cable, the embassy in Madrid wrote: “If Spain falls, the rest of Europe will follow.”

But it doesn’t end there.

As reported by Netline, Monsanto and other biotech companies have collaborated with the Gates Foundation via the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to inject genetically modified crops into Africa. The Gates Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to AGRA, and in 2006 Robert Horsch was hired for the AGRA project. Horsch was a Monsanto executive for 25 years.

In a previous Huffington Post article, Eric Holt Gimenez sums it up nicely:

“Under the guise of “sustainability” the [Gates] Foundation has been spearheading a multi-billion dollar effort to transform African into a GMO-friendly continent. The public relations flagship for this effort is the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a massive Green Revolution project.”

It would be naive at this point to think that these collaborations are designed to solve any other problem than how to help Monsanto monopolize the world’s food supply with expensive GM seeds that have to be purchased each year and require expensive chemical treatment.

After all, if you own the rights to all the food grown everywhere, you literally rule the world…

Gates tried to keep his ties to genetically modified seeds on the down-low, but the issue got major attention last year when Monsanto tried to inject its hybrid seeds into Haiti after a massive earthquake devastated the island. Fortunately, the Haitian farmers were too smart to fall for this devious scheme. Farmer groups criticized the Gates Foundation’s involvement, committed to burning the GM seed, and called for a march to protest Monsanto’s presence in Haiti.

Social movements around the world are pressuring their governments for a moratorium on unproven GM seeds and foods, yet the US is giving Monsanto free reign, aiding and abetting their agenda, and the Gates Foundation is starting to look more and more like just another arm to further Monsanto’s reach.

In the second quarter of 2010, the Gates Foundation purchased 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock with an estimated worth of $23.1 million.

In August of last year, AGRA-Watch wrote:

“The Foundation’s direct investment in Monsanto is problematic on two primary levels,” said Dr. Phil Bereano, University of Washington Professor Emeritus and recognized expert on genetic engineering.

“First, Monsanto has a history of blatant disregard for the interests and well-being of small farmers around the world, as well as an appalling environmental track record. The strong connections to Monsanto cast serious doubt on the Foundation’s heavy funding of agricultural development in Africa and purported goal of alleviating poverty and hunger among small-scale farmers. Second, this investment represents an enormous conflict of interests.”

It seems clear that despite the denials that GM seeds would be used as part of AGRA’s strategy, the close ties between the Gates Foundation, AGRA, and Monsanto, and the financial conflicts of interest between the Gates Foundation and Monsanto appear to be “a key element of AGRA’s “new green revolution” strategy,” Netline writes.

“The interlocking and corrupting nature of that agenda as documented further by Wikileaks release of US State Department cables should be of concern to all people of good will concerned about the future biodiversity of crop seeds in the world.

It is an undisputed fact, no matter what one might think of the merits of GMO seeds, that transnational concentration in market share and power inevitably means a diminishing of crop biodiversity, in many cases for all time, as seed varieties are lost in the shuffle. That is the bottom line.

And that is why small-scale farming, based in and loyal to the communities they nourish, must prevail as the model for the future of agriculture! Seeds have always been shared freely among farmers, guaranteeing a biodiverse basis for farming everywhere. Without that basis, there can be no food sovereignty and therefore fewer and fewer practitioners (family farmers) on the ground capable of slowing global warming and feeding the hungry of the world through sustainable land usage and reforestation.

It is our duty, even as community gardeners, to learn how to save seed and to do so. We thus represent the front line primary defense against crop variety loss, famine and pestilence for future generations!”

I agree.

Genetically modified crops represent one of the most significant threats to life on this planet and must be stopped. Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of smart men misusing their intelligence. Bill Gates is just one of the most prominent in this group.

How Could Bill Gates Be so Confused About Vaccines?

Moving on to the second topic of this comment: Gates’ vaccine opinions. It is very difficult to watch Bill Gates “speak out” about vaccines, knowing he’s directly responsible for using his considerable wealth and influence to advance one-size-fits all vaccine policies that lack good science to back them up.

However, if you’re savvy to the way this game is played, you’ll realize that the absolute and derogatory terms he uses to defend his actions—such as labeling vaccine safety advocates as “baby killers”—actually reveals the level of pressure and mounting panic the vaccine industry is feeling right now.

They’re definitely worried, or else they wouldn’t have to resort to using people like Bill Gates to label you a killer if you question vaccine safety or want to make voluntary vaccine choices, in an effort to shame or scare you back in line.

He also spouts off the same tired propaganda speech about how Dr. Andrew Wakefield is somehow singularly responsible for creating mass-hysteria about the link between vaccines and developmental delays, including autism. This is beyond simplistic, and does in no way describe the truth about the problems with poor science being used to pass laws requiring everyone to use more and more vaccines that are both unsafe and ineffective. Anyone who has read even a fraction of my articles on vaccines will see that trying to hinge the entire anti-vaccine movement on the results of one study published in one medical journal is ridiculous.

The consolation is that the awful truth is more powerful than Gates ill-conceived attempts at quenching safety advocates.

But what’s his motivation for promoting vaccines, you may ask?

Well, you have to remember that years ago, when the US government slammed Microsoft with anti-trust violations, he and his wife, Melinda, soon thereafter created their foundation and partnered with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the pharmaceutical industry to “save” the children of the world from infectious diseases—through the use of vaccines.

It appears as though, in return for a slap on the wrist, Gates was roped into the vaccine-promoting business, which likely explains why he would make such appalling statements against those who have valid and significant concerns about the safety of vaccines.

However, in the end, truth is more powerful than money. This is the reason why the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is still in operation and why my voice and the many voices of parents of vaccine-injured children continue to be heard above the relentless promotion of lies by the wealthy and powerful.

We have our work cut out for us, both in the fight against the dangerous promotion of genetically modified food crops and the mass-use of vaccines without proper safety evaluations. But sanity and reason can still win, through the propagation and dissemination of information. Below I’ll provide helpful guidance for avoiding both GM foods and unwanted vaccines.

How You Can Avoid GM Foods, and Help Others Do the Same

I urge you to print out and use the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, created by the Institute for Responsible Technology. Share it with your friends and family, and post it to your social networks. You can also download a free iPhone application, available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

If you’re feeling really ambitious you can order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure in bulk and distribute them to the grocery stores in your area. Talk to the owner or manager and get permission to post them in their store.

For more information, I highly recommend reading the following two books, authored by Jeffrey Smith, the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology:

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating

There are also a number of great films and lectures available, including:

Hidden Dangers in Kid’s Meals

Your Milk on Drugs – Just Say No!

Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods

For timely updates, join the Non-GMO Project on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

Please, do your homework. Together, we as consumers have the power to stop the biotech industry from destroying our food supply, the future of our children, and the earth as a whole. All we need is about five percent of consumers to simply stop buying GM foods, and the food industry would have to reconsider their source of ingredients.

Do Your Homework Before Vaccinating for Anything

Personally, I’m not anti-vaccine but rather pro-education and pro-vaccine safety. I also believe it is extremely important to have the right to choose preventive health options and to be allowed to exercise informed consent to taking ANY medical risk, including making voluntary decisions about what you want to inject into your child, and yourself, and when.

If you choose to vaccinate selectively, you don’t have to reject use of all vaccines. You have a number of options, one of which is use a more sensible vaccination schedule—one that will not subject your child to multiple vaccines simultaneously, or in quick succession, as a newborn.

Dr. Donald Miller is a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle and a member of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. Using a more sensible, “user-friendly” vaccination schedule, Dr. Miller advises the following:

No vaccinations until your child is two years old.

No vaccines that contain thimerosal (mercury).

No live virus vaccines.

Dr. Miller used to advise giving inactivated polio vaccine and inactivated bacterial vaccines like pertusis, tetanus and diphteria in separate shots, but, unfortunately, the drug companies selling vaccines no longer make separate vaccines available. The pertussis, tetanus and diphteria vaccines today only come in the form of combination shots like DTaP and DT for younger children, or Tdap and Td for teens and adults.

Dr. Bob Sears, a California pediatrician and author of The Vaccine Book, supports informed consent and selective vaccine choices. He offers a roadmap for those who choose to vaccinate their children using an alternative vaccination schedule that includes spacing vaccines out over a longer period of time.

Your pediatrician will probably not agree with this schedule, but if you have reviewed the evidence and still feel your child should be given some vaccines, it could be a far safer alternative to the standard vaccination schedule.

Also remember your opt-out options. Although all 50 states have vaccination requirements, all states provide exemptions for medical reasons, and 48 states allow exemptions for sincerely held religious beliefs. Another 18 states allow parents to opt out for personal, conscientious or philosophical beliefs as well.

For more information, please see How to Legally Avoid Unwanted Immunizations of All Kinds.

Above all, educate yourself on the risks and complications of the vaccines that your doctor or pediatrician insists on administering., as well as the vaccine laws in your state. I have hundreds of articles detailing the dangers of various vaccines on this site, and you also have the entire internet at your disposal.

One of your most valuable allies on the net is the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)—the American vaccine safety watchdog. Their site contains loads of carefully researched, accurate information about vaccines, along with late-breaking news relating to laws, mandates, recalls, safety issues and more.

In some states, legal exemptions for vaccination, such as the religious and personal or conscientious belief exemptions are under attack and being targeted for elimination by drug companies and other special interest groups lobbying state legislators. Please sign up for the NVIC free Advocacy Portal and stay tuned into to what is happening in YOUR state and if you need to take action now to protect your legal right to make voluntary choices about vaccination for yourself and your children.